Tea Tasting: An Optional At-Home Activity

Hi everyone! On Thursday, November 26th I will be sending home a sample of one of the teas we have been learning about in Science. Please feel free to brew and taste the tea together at home! Here is some information about the tea:

- The tea is Jade Fir tea from the Namasthe/Ranger Tea Company, a Canadian-owned handcrafted tea brand
- This teas ingredients are: Spring harvest mountain green tea and Douglas Fir tips
- The Fir tips are sustainably harvested from unceded Coast Salish territories and forests by Indigenous members of the company
- Because this is a ‘wild’ brew, you might see some large pieces of pine, sticks, etc.
- Douglas Fir tea has been used for centuries as a ‘thirst-quencher’ (rehydrating and energizing properties)
- This tea has citrus-y, pine-y flavours that may be new or unusual to many people, but it has been enjoyed by many Indigenous cultures for thousands of years

Please ensure that there are no allergens in the tea, and always consult with a doctor if you are pregnant/taking medication before drinking this tea

To serve: Steep the tea in hot water for 3 minutes. Strain and enjoy. You may also want to add a little maple syrup for sweetness, or a slice of lemon for flavour.

Please let me know if you try the tea, and I hope you enjoy this unique blend of Green tea and Fir tea! I’ve attached a video of an Indigenous chef discussing how he sustainably harvests ingredients for tea:

Microbiology: Ms. Ward’s Recipe for Agar

Today, our class began collecting ‘samples’ from around the school in order to grow our own mystery microorganisms! We used a cotton swab to carefully collect a sample (from the bottom of our shoe, from our pencil, from the floor, from a doorknob, and other places). Then, we rubbed the cotton swab onto the agar gel in our mini petri-dishes. Ms. Ward made the agar from a few household ingredients. If you want to try this experiment at home, you can use this recipe:

Grow Bacteria On Homemade Agar Plates | Mad About Science

Agar Recipe (for collecting and growing microorganisms)

5 packets of unflavoured gelatin
10 teaspoons of white sugar
1 packet or 1 cube of chicken or beef bouillon
5 cups of boiling water

Carefully mix together the gelatin, sugar, and bouillon. Add the boiling water and mix well. Put in the fridge to cool for around 10 minutes, until just slightly warm. Then, carefully pour into your petri dishes and refrigerate until needed. Use within 2 days for the best results.

To use: carefully collect a sample using a damp cotton swab. Try to pick somewhere you think will likely have lots of microorganisms! Then, rub the q-tip onto the agar, seal the petri dish, and leave in a warm, dark place for a few days. For safety reasons, do NOT open the petri dish once the microorganisms begin to grow. Observe them, then throw the entire experiment in the garbage.

Note: We talked extensively about ensuring that we do not contaminate our agar. Ms. Ward even discovered that one of her spoons hadn’t been sterilized properly, and it contaminated a few of our petri dishes. If you want accurate results, make sure to sterilize all of your equipment beforehand, and wash your hands!

We will let our microorganisms incubate over the weekend, then check to see our results on Monday. Stay tuned for pictures and updates!

Parent/Guardian Resource: Talking about Racism

Hello to our parents, guardians, and families of Div. 5 students!

In Socials this month, we will be discussing topics that involve stereotypes, prejudice, and racism; we will also be learning about people who stood up against oppression and made positive changes in their communities! For example, we learned about Viola Desmond and her fight to end racial segregation in Canada. I know that we will have some challenging, meaningful, and interesting discussions around the topic of past and present injustices over the weeks to come!

It is important to recognize that many students have likely heard/learned about different examples of injustice through current events, social media, their own life experiences, etc. I am so proud of how honest, empathetic, and critically-minded our class has been in our lessons so far! Here is a resource that may be helpful if you want to continue these conversations at home.

Thank you!